School board trustee elections are a very overlooked issue that directly affects us students. Low voter participation & awareness enables the election of Trustees such as Donna Blackburn, who is infamous for backing cops in schools and being implicated in a variety of racist incidents. We need to help elect Trustees that care about students, thereby naturally increasing our voice in the process.

What is a board trustee?
School board trustees are locally-elected representatives of the public, and they are the community's advocate for public education. Board trustees are elected for all 4 Ottawa school boards to make policy and budget decisions.

What do board trustees do?
Board trustees:

• ​Identify the needs and priorities of their community
• Ensure these are considered in educational decisions
• Collaborate with the other members of the school board by developing policies that work for all students
• Ensure said policies are implemented effectively
• Act as a liaison between the local community and the school board

Why should students care?
The decisions of the Board of Trustees affects students   directly.
School board trustees vote on issues that directly affect the student experience, such as the School Resource Officers Program, and the implementation of public health measures in schools.
Trustees have an obligation to act in the students' interests, beyond using the position of trustee as a mechanism to bolster their political careers.

When voting for trustees, ask them:

• Have they spent time in actual schools
• Are the schools in your area adequate and in good condition?
• What are their priorities for education?
• What are their party's platform commitments on education?
• What is their position on standardized testing?
• What do they have to say about equity in public education?

In the status quo, the answer your local trustee might provide is likely disappointing.

How can students get involved?
Youth friendly organization like Horizon Ottawa are pushing to elect pro-student trustees who are in favour of anti-SRO and pro-education  reform. Consider getting involved.
The RSU will be enduring a slate of pro-student board trustee candidates. Consider volunteering for a pro-student candidate.
Consider running for trustee! If you are 18 years old by October 2022, you are eligible to run in the Board Trustee elections! We need more youth voices on the Board!

More information on all of these points will be provided at an event on April 16th.

Support equal access to mental healthcare for all Canadian students, by joining the Equal Access Initiative and partners in a peaceful multi-city protest on April 2nd from 1-6PM. We are rallying for improved mental healthcare policy, and will address common concerns, provide specifications, and more!

Join us at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Queen's Park, Toronto, or BC Legislature, Victoria.

Learn more at https://linktr.ee/EAI_CAN​

We're proud to announce we've elected a new Board of Directors to supervise the union and keep it moving forward, Faraaz Jan, Evelyn Yu, and Will Cooper.​

We successfully passed a new and improved union constitution. Check it out using the link below!

As we have formed a formal affiliation with Horizon Ottawa, we have opted to release a statement. Read our statement of affiliation with  Horizon Ottawa, available at the link below. Together, let's build a better Ottawa!